India’s Dube credits team backing for bowling improvement

India all-rounder Shivam Dube said the backing he received from team management had helped him develop into a utility bowler, with the 32-year-old repaying their faith in him by helping the tourists to victory in Thursday’s T20 against Australia.

Dube earned his place in the squad primarily because of his six-hitting prowess but it was his medium pace which did the damage on the Gold Coast where he claimed the prized wickets of rival captain Mitchell Marsh and danger man Tim David.

India triumphed by 48 runs at Carrara stadium to pull 2-1 ahead in the five-match series heading into the fifth and final match in Brisbane on Saturday.

Dube said that since India’s victorious Asia Cup campaign bowling coach Morne Morkel and skipper Suryakumar Yadav had handed him a “good plan”, while head coach Gautam Gambhir had offered the management’s backing to execute it.

“It (plan) was more about how to bowl on what type of track,” he explained. “Gauti Bhai (Gambhir) also told me. ‘Don’t worry about runs, bowl without any worry. We are backing you.’”

India made a competitive 167-8, and their plan when Australia began their chase was to make the home batters hit towards the bigger side boundaries.

“I think the boundaries were 80m-plus. We knew it won’t be easy to hit however well you may connect,” said Dube.

“Definitely it’s a T20 game and any of the batters can come and smack it. But on this ground, where the side boundaries are big, we had planned it very nicely and we had confidence that we can stop them.”